Problem Identification: Medication Reconciliation in Geriatric Transitions
Adverse drug events (ADEs) during care transitions represent one of the most prevalent and costly preventable harms in the American healthcare system. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ, 2022), nearly 50% of medication errors occur during hospital discharge or admission, with geriatric patients bearing disproportionate morbidity due to polypharmacy, altered pharmacokinetics, and fragmented interprofessional communication.
Assessment Requirements Met
- Define and contextualize a current high-priority healthcare problem using empirical epidemiology.
- Conduct a comprehensive root-cause analysis (Ishikawa Fishbone & Human Factors).
- Develop a multipronged evidence-based clinical and technological intervention.
- Propose measurable clinical outcome benchmarks and evaluation metrics.
Epidemiological Scope and Cost Impact
Among Medicare beneficiaries over age 65, more than 40% consume five or more prescription medications daily. When these patients transition between emergency departments, inpatient units, and home health care, discrepancies between prescribed discharge regimens and outpatient pre-admission lists surge. In the United States alone, post-discharge medication-related hospital readmissions account for over $17 billion annually in avoidable Medicare expenditures.
